Leaders of all teams find themselves needing to get their message across on a weekly basis, if not more often. Even the best leaders can sometimes stumble and falter when it comes to speaking clearly and getting a response from their team. If you’re looking to cut through all the noise in your organisation and really drive your message home, there are six questions you need to ask yourself before, during and after you execute your communication plan.

What do they need to know?

Humour, emotional pleas and engaging tales are all essential when it comes to delivering your message, but they are secondary to your core message. Before you even begin to think of how you will spice up your message, you need to define the point you want to drive home. If you need your team to action anything in your message, being clear is crucial – if you’re not clear on your message, how can your team be expected to be on board?

What are you trying to achieve?

Now that you have your central message sorted, it’s time to think about what you’re actually trying to incite amongst your team. Is your message a call to arms? A speech full of crucial information? A motivational speech? Or, is it simply just reinforcing something you’ve covered at an earlier date. All these different purposes require different ways of engaging with your team and delivering the message.

Who is in your audience?

Your team are varied – with different talents, strengths and weaknesses, no two of your team members will respond to your message in exactly the same way. Spend time thinking about what’s important to them so that you can connect with them on a more personal level. Try to think about the way they learn and how they’ve responded to your words in the past. Taking all this into consideration will help you to package your message effectively.

What’s in it for them?

Why should your message important to your team? If you’re unable to answer that question, there’s a good chance that your team won’t understand why they should care about what you’re saying to them. If you’re looking to get a positive response from your team, show them why your message benefits them as a team and individually.

Is there anything distracting them?

With so much going on in our lives, there can be distractions coming from all sides. Choosing when and where you deliver your message can be crucial – if you decide to deliver your message just before lunch, you’ve got rumbling stomachs to compete with; if you have a meeting in a room with lots of windows, you’re competing with the bustling outside world. Personal issues, heavy workloads or office politics can also join the list of distractions. Take these all into account and you can deliver your message at a time, in a place and with words that your team will be ready to respond to.

How can you know they’ve understood?

When your team is repeating your message back to you or putting your words into actions, it’s a fairly accurate indication that your message has cut through. Remember the saying, “when you’re tired of saying it, your team is probably just starting to get it.”

If you’re not sure whether your message is clear-cut and you don’t know how to give it a boost, contact People Make The Difference. We can help you with our training workshops, one-on-one coaching and Coach on Call services. To find out more, call us on 0412 333 415 or visit: peoplemakethedifference.com.au